T-Mobile Starts Taking Pre-Orders for Apple iPhone 5

Considering how long it took T-Mobile to crash the iPhone party where all of its wireless peers have been hanging out for quite some time now, you'd think the Dutch-owned carrier would spring for balloons and streamers to announce it's now accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5. You'd also be wrong. Without any fanfare or a fancy press release, T-Mobile has quietly begun serving up the latest iPhone model on its website a week ahead of when it's slated to land in retail stores (April 12).

T-Mobile carries all flavors of the iPhone 5, including black and white models with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of built-in storage (if you're new to the iPhone, choose wisely, as the storage isn't expandable). As part of T-Mobile's new contract-free, unsubsidized pricing model, the 16GB version requires a $100 down payment and runs $20/month for 24 months, or you can purchase it outright for $580. Or you can splash $200 or $300 upfront for the 32GB or 64GB model, respectively, and pay the same monthly payment. The pay in full price is $680 for the 32GB SKU and $780 for the 64GB handset.

After you've decided on a phone, T-Mobile subscribers can choose from various plans, including: